NEWS

RUSTON – The IDEA Place will host an open house Friday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. for everyone in the community to see the new exhibit of lunar samples from NASA.

The lunar samples (moon rock discs) will be used to “give teachers some lesson packets and will be great assets to share with our local educators,” said Lindsey Keith-Vincent, museum educator. “We will even share information on how area teachers can become certified to borrow and utilize samples at their schools.”

The IDEA Place is Louisiana’s only NASA Educator Resource Center and has access to a plethora of information and resources pertaining to the U.S. space program, Keith-Vincent said.

Sci-Port and Louisiana Tech will jointly host the Sci-Tech Space Institute, a four-day workshop for area 4th through 8th grade teachers, at The IDEA Place Aug. 3-6. The program is part of the summer teachers institute and will utilize NASA Aerospace Education Services Project Lunar Toolkit to get both teachers and students excited about space science.

The final day of the workshop, Aug. 6, The IDEA Place will also participate in the Second Annual Educators’ Night in the Museums in conjunction with Lincoln Parish Museum and Louisiana Military Museum. All three museums will be open from 4-6:30 p.m. to share with area teachers how their facilities can enhance area children’s educations experience.

For more information contact Keith-Vincent at (318) 257-2866 or visit www.latech.edu/ideaplace.

NASA Educational Disc Program http:www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/sampreq/disks.cfm

Written by Dr. Elizabeth Christian